LOAD-LIMITING SEAT

摘要

A leg assembly (22) for mounting passenger seats in transport vehicles especially configured to absorb energy, in the event of a survivable crash or other sudden deceleration. The seat legs deform in a controlled manner to prevent loads at its floor attachment points from exceeding the magnitude of allowable floor strength. The leg assembly includes a base member (30) whose forward and rear ends attach to the floor, and a V-leg (40) whose lower vertex pivots about an axis passing through the front of the base member in the event of a forward crash. The V-leg has a vertical member (40v) and a diagonal member (40d). A load-limiting strut (36) connects the rear end of the base member to an intermediate area on the diagonal member of the V-leg. A tension link (38) connects the intermediate area of the V-leg and to the upper end of the vertical member of the V-leg. Elongation of the load-limiting strut allows the seat and legs to pitch forward at a predetermined inertial loading which, if exceeded substantially, would rip the seat loose from the floor. The tension link elongates at a predetermined load to distribute the loads within the seat.